You Can But Hope
by copper-28
Summary: Rex is pressing for answers and Jack's run off. There's some familiar faces in the alley below the make-shift American Base and a reunion is in order. And Janet makes an appearance.


**Okay, so it's not brilliant but I balled my eyes out at CoE and had to write **_**something **_**to fix my pain. **

**Torchwood is not mine – Ianto would defiantly still be here if it was – and belongs to the BBC and RTD.**

**I slip in and out of points of views at the end… but I don't think it's that hard to follow. **

**Anyway, Enjoy!**

"Don't."

Rex glared at Gwen Cooper, his dark eyes searching hers. She stood at the far edge of the grubby flat Harkness had found, blocking his path.

"If you won't give me answers I'll ask the man himself." He growled, glancing to Esther who had moved beside the Welshwoman, "Esther don't you start."

Esther shook her head, her expression matching the pleading face of Gwen. "Rex, just leave him alone. You don't have to know everything about Torchwood. Leave their past alone and focus on what's happening now."

Rex laughed throatily, "Why'd he run off? What's it to do with this?"

"It's nothing to do with this!" Gwen practically snarled.

"So what is it then?"

Gwen sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine, Rex. I'll tell you but you can't use it against him alright?"

Rex shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

Shuffling across the dark, damp room, Gwen sank down into the chair, Esther and Rex edging forwards to hear what she had to say about the mysterious Captain.

"He heard someone. Someone outside in the alleys shouted 'Stop being so miserable.' He thought it sounded like one of our dead friends as you so kindly put it." Gwen said tiredly, looked up to Rex.

Rex frowned. "If they're dead then why'd Jack run off? It must have been someone who just sounds similar."

"Haven't you ever hoped, Rex? Hoped that what you know is true turned out to be false?" Esther snapped. Rex raised an eyebrow at her sudden aggression.

"Alright, jeez. Hadn't we better go get Mr. Mortal? S'not exactly the safest neighbourhood." He grumbled, still wanting to question the older man himself.

Gwen nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. Don't ask him questions, Rex. You'll hurt him. He suffers enough as it is."

Rex grunted a reply, pulling on his coat before striding out of the door, the two women hot on his heels.

-x-

"Stop being so miserable." The voice echoed down the dimly lit alleyway. At the end of the dark space sat a sleek, black SUV with a smartly dressed man leaning against the bonnet. The man looked up to see a skinny bloke dressed in a leather jacket walking towards him with a slightly shorter woman attached to his arm. In the skinny man's other hand was a long chain that clattered against the floor every now and then when the creature it was attached to stopped to scent the air through its make-shift muzzle.

"It's not like I've got much to be happy about is it?" The man against the SUV shouted back.

"Oh, stop moaning! He's here and so is Gwen. We'll find them Ianto, okay?"

Ianto smiled half-heartedly, as the two people came closer he rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"You and Tosh. Walking Janet. It's not the most usual pet couples get." Ianto grinned.

"She needed to stretch her legs okay? I don't want her tearing apart the SUV and anyway, Myfanwy's not exactly a budgie is she?" Owen shot back. "Where is the beastly thing by the way?"

Ianto shrugged, looking up to the sky. "Probably eating all the sheep in Wales. She wouldn't come here."

"Never know. She might turn up." Tosh said, tightening her grip on Owen's arm as a cold wind hit them. Ianto snorted.

"Seriously though. You're alive. That's something to be happy about." Owen said as he dislodged himself from Tosh to shove the reluctant Weevil back into the car.

"But what if he's dead? This miracle thing. It's made us mortal. What if he'd been shot just after? Or jumped off a building? Or got some kind of disease?"

"He's not dead, Ianto. Stop it before I feed you to Janet." Owen growled, returning to stand at the front of the car with the others.

Ianto sighed, tilting his head back to stare at the stars.

A loud bang sounded near the end of the long alleyway, and a man cursed noisily.

"These damn doors! How'd he get out so stealthily?" Rex stepped out into the alleyway, a furious expression on his face. He cast his gaze along the scummy buildings before catching sight of the three people leaning on the black SUV. "Stupid druggies." He thought, starting to walk towards them without waiting for Gwen and Esther to catch up.

"Hey you lot!"

The three people looked over to him, un-amused expressions on their faces.

"What do you want?" Came the sharp reply from the smaller man.

"I want you to get the hell away from here." Rex shouted back.

"Really? Well you can piss off. We're Torchwood."

Rex frowned in confusion. "What? But we're Torchwood."

"Owen?" Gwen gasped, appearing from the door Rex had previously came from.

"Gwen!" The three people shouted in unison. Gwen started to run towards them, her laughter bouncing around the alley. Rex never realised how fast she could run until she was launching herself into this 'Owen's arms and pulling the Japanese woman into a hug. The third person however seemed to have frozen, his eyes resting on something behind him. Rex turned round to see what had captured the smart man's attention and found himself staring at the one and only Captain Jack Harkness.

Jack had looked a little tired when Rex had last seen him, but other than that he'd looked normal. He'd looked fairly content. But seeing the expression on the Captains face now, Rex realised just how wrong he had been. The face he'd seen was just a mask. Jack's face now glowed with happiness. He radiated pure joy and his eyes filling with un-shed tears actually lit up like a god-damn Christmas tree.

Then he'd started to run. Jack Harkness ran as fast as his legs would carry him towards the people by the SUV. Ianto hadn't taken long to copy him, the pair of them running towards each other as everyone watched. They didn't care. The world could become over-run with Weevils and they wouldn't have noticed.

Jack crashed into Ianto as full-speed, his arms locking around the younger man in a vice-like grip. He buried his face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent like a drug. His tears dripped down his cheeks, soaking Ianto's suit. Jack pulled his head back slowly, gazing into his lovers deep blue eyes.

"I..I'm sorry, Yan." He whispered.

"It's okay. I understand."

"I..Ianto, I... I lo…"

"Jack, it's doesn't need saying." Ianto said gently.

"Yes it does." Jack breathed, "I just couldn't say it… when it felt like a goodbye. I didn't want to say goodbye. I never will."

Ianto smiled, leaning in to steal a kiss from his normally immortal boyfriend.

"You won't have to."

Jack frowned, his head spinning from Ianto's kiss. "Won't have to?"

"No. Not ever. Unless we die during this Miracle."

"You mean…?"

"Yup."

"How?"

"Like you said, Jack. The right kind of Doctor."

**There you go. It eases the pain ever so slightly. **


End file.
